Machine for ornamenting leather



Feb. 5, 1929.

F. B. BALLOU ET AL MACHINE FOR ORNAMENTING LEATHER Filed Dec. 24. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 5, 1929.

I 1,709,968 F.- B. BALLOU ETI'AL MACHINE FOR ORNAMENTING LEATHER Filed Dec. 24, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented at. .5, 1929.

UNITED "STA'TE S f-PATENT OFFICE.

, FRANKLIN IB. BALLOU AND. JAMES Y. LAKE, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG-NORS, .BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T 0.' STANDARD PRODUCTS CORPORATION, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF. MASSACHUSETTS.

I MACHINE'FOR ORN AMEN TIN G. LEATHER.

- Applicatienfiled December 24, 1923. .Serial No. 682,382.

Our invention consists of an improved machine for ornamenting or brocading leather, and has for its particular object, the brocading of ooze or suede leather.

- In the accompanying-drawingillustrating.

our invention Fig. 1 is .a plan view of our machine; Fig. 2 is a front elevation; Fig. 3 is a right end elevation; Fig. 4 is a left end elevation, and Fig. 5 is avertical section through the line XX of Fig. 2.

Heretofore leather in small pieces has been in some instances ornamented or embossed by means of a stamp or die operated'under pressure, but the novelty of our invention .15 resides in the employment of a heated. metal cylinder having the ornamental pattern or design to be reproduced, formed on the periphery of the roll, combined with other structural features to adapt it to practical use.

Referring to the drawing, 6 is the frame of the machine supporting suitable bearings in which are mounted the paper roll 7, the brocading cylinder 8, the pressure roll 9, the

brush roll 10, the feed roll 11, and the carding roll 12. The paper roll 7 is adapted to carry a sheet of paper 13, which paper has an adhesive coating over the surface which is presented incontact with the suede side of the leather while it is subjected to the action of the brocading cylinder. The adhesive coating of the paper 13 consists of any suitable gum, such for instance as shellac and alcohol preferably with the addition of some softer gum thinly and uniformly spread upon the paper and dried, and containing, if desired, some coloring matter or dye.

We have discovered that the suede side of leather will permanently retain a pattern transferred by a heated brocading roll through a gummcd paper, and if the gummcd paper is colored, a correspondingly colored pattern is permanently transferred thereby. The guunned substance in the paper is driven into the texture of the leather at the points V of immediate contact of the pattern with the leather and thereby the pattern is more clearly defined and permanently sealed than when no gummed substance is used. Furthermore when a colored pattern is required, the gum acts as an efficient conveyor of the coloring matter into the texture of the leather and it becomes indelibly impressed therein. The

pressure roll best results areproduced by employing a pressure rollwith the brocading roll. The presents but a small surface of the leather at a time to the heated pattern and the gum has no opportunity to spread and blur the pattern, which would .be the tendency if a pressure table, or platen were used lnstead of a roll.

.The paper roll 7 is mounted, as shown, in supports 30 at the top of the frame of the machine, and the sheet of paper'13 is. fed

downwardly therefrom and under the brocading cylinderv8, together with the leather,'the

paper lying between the surface of the brocadmg cyllnder 8 and the upper or suede side of the leather.

The brocading cylinder 8 is mounted in vertically and yieldlngly adjustable bearings- 14; for the purpose of varying the space between the brocading cylinder 8 and the pres sure roll 9, so as to'adapt' it to different thicknesses of leather and for the purpose of regulatin the degree of pressure of the pattern or esi gn upon the surface of, the leather, and to compensate for variations in the thickness of agiven hide or skin.

i We have shown as one form of means for vertically and yieldingly adjusting the pressure of the brocading cylinder 8 the adjusting screw 15, and the helical spring 16 interposed between the bearings 14 of the brocading'cylinder 8 and the cap 31 secured to the end of the adjusting screw 15. Both bearings of the brocading cylinder 8 are provided with similar vertically and yieldingly adjusting means. Our invention is not limited to the form shown, as it is a mere matter of choice from familiar forms of construction what means for such purpose is desired.

Upon the peripheral surface of the brocading cylinder 8 is formed or cut or arranged in any suitable manner the patternor design to be reproduced upon the leather, and the pattern is of the cameo type, preferably out about one-eighth of an inch deep. The depth of the pattern may be varied to meet the special requirements in producing different designs, and also to adapt it to the character and weight of the leather to be brocaded. Beneathlthe brocading cylinder 8, the pressure roll 9is mounted in fixed bearings 32 in the frame of the machine, and between which and the brocading cylinder 8, the hide or skin 17 and the sheet of paper 13 are carried and subjected to the required pressure to produce the design upon the leather.

On the' front of the machine is a table 18 over which the hide or skin 17 is laid and from which it is fed between and by the feed roll 11, and the brush roll 10 to the brocading cylinder 8 and pressure roll 9 as and for the purpose above described.

While it is desirable and useful to employ the brush roll 10, it is not essential to our invention. It is useful in removing any dirt and foreign matter from the suede sur ace of the leather, so that it may be presented to the action of the brocading cylinder 8 to the best the brocading cylinder 8 and pressure roll 9.

At the rear of the brocading cylinder 8, and

in contact with it, is mounted in suitable fixed bearings in the frame of the machine, the carding roll 12.

The periphery of the carding roll 12 is covered with the well known wire card cloth commonly used in carding wool and other textiles. The carding roll 12 is rotated by means of suitable gears 26 and 27 in an opposite direction to the rotation of the brocading cylinder 8. The object of the carding roll 12 is to remove from the pattern on the brocading roll any dirt, grease or other foreign matter that may be caught and adhere to it, and thus to keep the pattern clean and clear.

We also employ for the sake of precaution in keeping the pressure roll 9 free from any substances that may be gathered from contact with the hide or skin, an adjustable scraper 19, held in yielding contact with the pressure roll 9, by means of the adjustable bracket v2O secured to the frame of the machine. v

For the purpose of raising the brocading cylinder 8, so as to insert the hide or skin and the sheet of paper 13 beneath it, or for any other purpose temporarily to increase the space between it and the pressure roll 9, I

have provided a treadle connected by suitable vertical rods 33 with the levers 34 pivoted to the frame of the machine at 35, the levers 34 being pivoted to the rod 36, which in turn is connected with the bearings 14 of the brocading roll 8.

The brocading cylinder 8 is hollow and preferably is heated electrically by means of resistance coils installed within the cylinder. The resistance coils are preferably contained j in a plurality of glass tubes 37 and are connected with a source of power through the wires 39 and the brush 38 forming a contact in any. of the well known ways. The brocading howevenbe heated by a as or oil frame or by steam or any other suita source of heat. The brocading cylinder 8, p

and of course the pattern upon it, should ordinarily be heated to a temperature of from,

about two hundred to two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit during the operation of the machine. This, however, must depend upon certain varying conditions, namely, the thickness of the skin to be ornamented, the kind of dye used and the speed of operation of the machine,-which the operator must take into consideration in regulating the temperature of the roll.

Mounted upon the shaft of the pressure roll 9 is the driving pulley of the machine driven by a belt from an suitable source of power. The gear 21 (see ig. 3) on the shaft of the pressure roll 9, drives the gear 22 on the shaft of the brocading cylinder 8, which in turn, through the intermediate gear 23, drives the gear 24 on the shaft of the brush roll 10,- the gear 24 meshing with gear 25 on the shaft of the feed roll 11, by which the latter is driven. The carding roll 12 is driven by the gear 26 mounted on its shaft, and by the gears 27 and 21. a a

The brush roll 10 is also mounted in vertically and yieldingly adjustable bearings, the adjusting means consisting of the adjusting screws 28, and the helical springs 29 confined between the bearings d0 of the brush roll 10 and the plate 41 secured to the adjusting screws 28.

The operation of the machine is as follows: i Y

The brocading cylinder having attained the requisite degree of heat, as above described, a hide or skin is laid upon the table 18 with its suede side upward, and is presented to the feed roll 11, which delivers .it between the brocading cylinder 8 and the pressure roll 9. Simultaneously the sheet of gummed and colored paper 1.3 is preferably fed from an elevated position so as to be presented to the brocading cylinder 8, as shown in the drawing (Fig. 5), above and in contact with the suede side of the hideor skin,-. the two beingheld out of contact until they are both about to be engaged by the brocading cylinder 8 and pressure roll 9, between which they are fedunder sufficientpressure to transfer the design of the pattern on the brocading cylinder 8 to the surface of the hide or skin. By reason of the pressure of the pattern upon the paper and the heat of the roll, the hide or skin will receive and permanently retain not only theligure of the pattern, but the color gained. For instance, rubbing of the paper and consequent marring thereof, due to lack ofsynchronism in the movements of the paper and the leather, is prevented. Another very important advantage is that the paper is brought into contact with a substantial portion of the periphery of the pattern roll, so that said paper is pre-heated before it contacts with the leather, thereby softening the gum just before contact with the leather. In addition to this, if it should be found desirable to employ the brush roll 10, space is provided for it, so that the surface of the leather is cleaned immediately before it comes into contact with the paper.

The novelty of our machine consists in the employment of a rotatable and heated pattern together with gummed paper for orn amentin'g large pieces of suede leather, such as whole hides or skins, whereby a design is produced more permanent and durable than heretofore known in the art.

hat we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for ornamenting suede leather, the combination of ametallic pattern roll having a pattern formed upon its pcriphery, a pressure roll having a rigid surface rotating in contact with said pattern roll, means for heating the pattern roll, means for feeding a sheet of leather to said rolls, means for also feeding a sheet of gummed paper to said rolls. so that the gummed paper will be interposed between the leather and the pattern roll, while passing between the rolls, said paper feeding means being so positioned that the paper is held out of contact with the 1eather until the paper and leather are about to be engaged by said rolls.

2. In a machine for ornamenting suede leather, the combination of a metallic patterp roll provided with a peripheral pattern adapted to be transferred to suede leather. a metallic pressure roll rotating in contact with said pattern roll. means for heating the pattern roll, means for feeding a sheet of leather to said rolls, means for also feeding a sheet of gummed paper to said rolls, so that said paper will be in contact with said leather and the pattern roll as it passes between the rolls, said paper feeding means being positioned above said rolls so that the paper will he held out of contact with the leather until the paper and leather are about to be engaged by said rolls.

3. In a machine for ornamenting suede leather. the combination of a metallic pattern roll provided with a peripheral pattern adapted to be transferred to suede leather. a pressure roll having an unyielding surface rotating in contact with said pattern roll, means for heating the pattern roll, means for feeding a side of leather to said rolls, a paper roll for supplying a sheet of gummed paper, said roll being supported above the pattern .roll in a position to cause .said paper to 'be tern roll provided with a peripheral pattern adapted to be transferred to suede leather, a pressure roll rotatin in contact with said pattern roll, means fbr heating the pattern roll, means for feeding a side of leather to said rolls, means for feeding a sheet of gummed paper to said rolls in a position to i be interposed between the leather and'the pattern roll, and means whereby the gummed paper is pre-heated by the pattern roll before it comes into contact with the leather.

5. In a machine for ornamenting suede leather, the combination of a pattern roll having a peripheral patternadapted to be transferred to suede leather, a pressure roll rotating in contact therewith, means for heating the pattern roll, means for simultaneously feeding a side of leather and a sheet of gummed paper to said rolls with the gummed paper in a position to be interposed between the leather and the pattern roll, and'means for holding the paper out of contact with the leather until the paper and the leather are about to be engaged by said rolls, said paper being also maintained in contact with the heated pattern roll prior to being brought into contact with the leather.

6. In a machine for ornamenting suede leather, the combination of a pattern roll having a peripheral pattern adapted to be trans ferred to suede leather, a pressure roll rotating in contact therewith,-means for heating the pattern roll, means for simultaneously feeding a side of leather and a sheet of gummed paper to said rolls, with the gummed paper in a position to be interposed between the leather and the pattern roll, said paper being held out of contact with the leather until the paper and the leather are about to be engaged by said rolls, said paper being maintained in contact with the heated pattern roll prior to being brought into contact with the leather, means for cleaning the leather before the paper is brought into contact therewith, and means for removing portions of gummed paper from the periphery of the pattern roll after said periphery has acted upon the leather and gummed paper. In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 6th day of December, 1923.

FRANKLIN B. BALLOU. JAMES Y. LAKE. 

